Sandra Wolfe’s story is one that saddened the nation. She suffered domestic abuse at the hands of her husband of 28 years, and it was only when he attempted to kill her in public that things came to a head. Her husband, Mark Burt, ran her vehicle off the road in an aggressive car chase. The attack was filmed by another motorist, and Burt was eventually charged for his abuse.

She appeared on A Current Affair earlier this year to talk about her ordeal.

We spoke to Sandra exclusively, and she shared her advice for women in a similar situation to her past one.

"My advice would be not to believe that he loves you or that you’re doing it to keep the family together or that it’s better for the kids or any of that," she said. "None of this is good.

"If you are in a violent situation, then you need to leave. Simple as that. And I would encourage anyone to do so – immediately."

Following Burt’s court case last year, she admitted that she thought his five-year sentence (of which he will be eligible for parole after three) was going to be “heftier”, but added in a statement outside court: "It's not a right thing to do to somebody else and you shouldn't feel isolated and alone in this situation when you are definitely not, so yes, reach out please."

Domestic violence is everyone’s responsibility

According to White Ribbon, Australia’s campaign to end violence against women, one in three women have experienced physical and/or sexual abuse at the hands of someone known to them, and on average one woman is killed in Australia every week due to domestic violence. These shocking, but very real statistics, should give everyone in Australia reason to stop and think today – or even make a White Ribbon oath (find out more here).

This year, White Ribbon aren’t just targeting women. They’re talking specifically to men with the hashtag #AMansIssueToo.

Jess Luter, Chief Operations Officer for White ribbon said: “We ask communities across Australia to take our oath, which is to stand up, speak out and act to prevent violence against women.

“Our main campaign message this year is that violence against women is a man’s issue too. We’re asking men to ask the question: who are the women in their life they’d like to take the oath for? This is a man’s issue too – and it’s every man’s issue.”

And there are plenty already getting involved with the cause. The North Queensland Cowboys made a touching tribute this week – by donning high heels to get behind the Walk A Mile in Her Shoes campaign. Ray Thompson said he wanted to be a role model for his daughter. “I might get a bit of stick from the boys for this photo shoot, but it’s a small price to pay,” he said.

Police are supporting the cause with their ‘No Innocent Bystanders’ campaign, which encourages the community to report domestic violence. They produced a video specifically for the campaign:

Meanwhile, employers are being called to give paid leave for people affected by domestic and family violence. In an article for the Cairns Post this week, Julie McKay, Convenor of the QLD Male Champions of Change and Gender Adviser to the Chief of the Australian Defence Force, argued the case for the leave. She wrote: ‘In trivialising the issue of domestic violence leave…we continue to push people experiencing violence into the shadows. We continue to say to those people, the vast majority of whom are women, that we don’t believe you, that you’re not worthy of our support.

‘Friday is White Ribbon Day. I suggest this year we have a different conversation — about how to best support our employees through broad workplace responses to domestic and family violence.’

Men, employers - everyone can make a difference. This White Ribbon Day, encourage everyone in your life to get behind the cause. After all, we’re stronger together.